Welcome to my Preschool Games Page! These children's game pages include birthday party game ideas, holiday game ideas, and games for anytime! You can also find more games for children on my Preschool Theme Pages. If you have a game idea to be included here, please email me and let me know about it. Enjoy!

Birthday Party Games

Bee Bag

Wad 6 pieces of yellow tissue paper into tight balls, each around a minature chocolate bar. Take 6 more sheets of yellow tissue paper and fold them in half. Place one tissue "ball" in the center of each sheet. Gather the paper around the balls and twist with black pipe cleaners, making them resemble antennae. Wrap 3 rows of black tape around the bodies to look like bee stripes.

When the children start arriving at the party, gather them into a game of Bee Bag. Children congregate around a large basket, or "hive" and practice throwing their "bees" from progressively further distances. After all of the children are present (and they've had enough time to practically exhaust this activity) tell them to open up their bees. Watch the delight as they find the surprise inside!

Catch That Balloon

1. Have children gather around you.

2. Toss balloon in the air and call one child's name.

3. That child tries to catch the balloon before it touches the ground.

4. If the child misses, toss balloon again and call another child's name.

5. If the child succeeds, she gets to toss the balloon and call the next name.

You will need one clothespin per person. Clip a clothespin to the back of your shirt. On the word "go" try to steal
the other players clothespins w/out letting anyone get your clothespin. When your clothespin is taken or falls off,
you're out. The last player with a clothespin wins.

Penny/cup game

Get a cup filled w/water, put a napkin over it, and put the rubber band around the cup to hold the napkin. Put the
penny in the middle of the napkin. 2 players take turnes poking holes into the napkin with a sharp pencil. The entire
tip of the pencil has to go through the napkin. The person who doesn't make the penny fall wins.

Footsie

To play, you need at least 3 players. Lie down and put their legs in the air. One player puts a ball between their feet
and passes it to the next player. If a player drops the ball, they are out. Keep doing this until all the players are out.

Standing Pretzel Relay

For 2 or more players. Get into a pretzel position by standing on your left leg, lift your right leg and cross it in front
of your left knee.Then cross your arms in front of your body. On the word "go" hop to the finish line. The "pretzel"
who gets to the finish line 1st wins.

Hedgehogs

1. Ask children to stand around the room and show them a large sheet.

2. Say "This is a game of hide and seek. I'm going to cover someone with this cloth. The rest of you have to guess who is hidden without touching the cloth. All close your eyes."

3. See that they do this and say. "Put your hands over your eyes so that you can't see. Turn around three times. One. . .two. . .three. Now crouch down on the floor and curl up like a tiny hedgehog."

4. Make sure no one is peeping as you cover one of them with the cloth. Say, "Now you can all stand up except the little hedgehog under the cloth. Can you guess who it is? Look around and see who is missing."

5. If no guesses are forthcoming, prompt them: "Is it a boy or a girl hedgehog? I'll give you a clue. . .it's a girl. . .I think she has a red dress...her name begins with S. . ."

6. If overwhelmed with requests to "choose me," tell them you will select the best one who curls up quietly.

Pass The Package

1. Start the music. Children pass a bag of treats around a circle.

2. Stop the music. The child who has the bag takes a treat and eats it.

3. Start the music again. Keep playing until each child gets a treat.

4. Keep track of who has already gotten a treat. Make sure everyone gets one by turning off the music at the appropriate time.

5. A variation on this game is to buy some inexpensive toys. Wrap one in pretty wrapping paper. Add another toy and wrap the entire package in yet another and different wrapping paper. Now add another gift and wrap the whole thing again. I like to have the child who gets the gift sit out of the circle to make sure no one gets more than one item. You can also let the child who is stuck with the object passing around the circle leave the group and choose a small trinket or candy from a bag as he/she is leaving. Be sure to have another activity waiting for those who leave the circle to keep them occupied and happy!

Surprise Walk

You'll need "stepping stones" - one for each child present. We made ours with 8.5"x11" paper, and a different picture on each sheet. You could use party theme pictures, cartoons, etc. Arrange these stepping stones in a circle on the floor. You'll also need small slips of paper, one each for each
"stepping stone" with the same pictures as on the "stepping stones"...place these small slips of paper in a basket.

The children walk around the pictures as music plays, and all stop on which "stepping stone" they're at when the music stops.
When the music stops, the adult picks a slip of paper from a basket. The child who is on the stepping stone which matches the slip drawn, gets to choose a surprise from the prize box. We use little novelty store prizes, wrapped in tissue paper, so it's a "surprise" what's inside! But you could use candy, beads, whatever.

After the "winner" chooses a prize, they return to their stepping stone, the music starts again, and play is repeated for as long as you have prizes left. No one is "out" lke in musical chairs, and everyone has equal chances to win.

At Christmas time, we played a:"Candy Cane" walk. All of the stepping stones were Christmas items, and all of the prizes were candy canes. For our Valentine's Party, we'll have different color hearts, For Easter, pictures of decorated eggs....I'm sure you get the idea.